Nature Communications (May 2017)

Two forms of death in ageing Caenorhabditis elegans

  • Yuan Zhao,
  • Ann F. Gilliat,
  • Matthias Ziehm,
  • Mark Turmaine,
  • Hongyuan Wang,
  • Marina Ezcurra,
  • Chenhao Yang,
  • George Phillips,
  • David McBay,
  • William B. Zhang,
  • Linda Partridge,
  • Zachary Pincus,
  • David Gems

DOI
https://doi.org/10.1038/ncomms15458
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 8, no. 1
pp. 1 – 8

Abstract

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Despite its wide use in ageing research, the contribution of specific age-associated pathologies toC. elegansmortality is not well understood. Here the authors identify two types of death in worms, with either a swollen or a shrunken pharynx, that are differentially affected by age and mutations that extend worm lifespan.